There has been a significant increase in the number of mobile devices, and the range of functionality provided by these devices. Mobile devices can include such devices as smartphones, wearable devices such as augmented reality headsets or the like, watches, or other wearable devices, and handheld computing, reading, and/or gaming devices. These mobile devices provide improved user interfacing and increased functionality by an increasing number of sensors or environmental detection equipment (generally referred to herein as sensors). Sensors typically generate an analog output (either a variable voltage and/or a variable current output) that must be first converted to digital form before it can be processed by digital processing components (microcontrollers, digital signal processors, or other processing devices). Examples of sensors can include motion sensors, accelerometers, temperature sensors, gyroscopes, location sensors, light detectors, sound/noise detectors, or other sensors.
It will be understood that while the input from the sensors can provide valuable information for a mobile device to provide increased functionality and/or an improved user interface experience, there are costs associated with using such sensors. More specifically, the increased use of sensors increases the size required for the mobile device, to accommodate the sensors. In addition to the increased size, the sensors require power, especially at the conversion interface (the analog interface). Some sensors have built-in analog interfaces to convert the native analog output (continuous value signal) to digital output (discretized signal). However, such capabilities increase the size and power requirements of the sensor. Traditionally each sensor has different requirements for interfacing based on the different outputs, the sensitivity levels of the sensors, the type of analog output or other interface type, and/or other requirements. Such differences can create significant interfacing inefficiencies.
Descriptions of certain details and implementations follow, including a description of the figures, which may depict some or all of the embodiments described below, as well as discussing other potential embodiments or implementations of the inventive concepts presented herein.